Kyle MacLachlan Joins J.J. Abrams' NBC Pilot Believe

Kyle MacLachlan has made a career out of great TV roles, going al the way back to his part in Twin Peaks. Since then, the actor has played characters in a number of major series, and if things go well for J.J. Abrams' NBC drama pilot, he may be adding Believe to the list.

In development at NBC from J.J. Abrams is Believe, a drama that follows the "unlikely relationship between a gifted young girl (Johnny Sequoyah) and a man (Jake McLaughlin) sprung from prison who has been tasked with protecting her from the evil elements that hunt her power." TVLine says MacLachlan has been tapped to play the role of the mysterious Skouras, a billionaire with "an even more mysterious agenda."

By that description, it's hard to tell if his character is a good guy or a bad guy. Factoring in the money and his "agenda," we might assume the latter, but it's entirely possible he's somewhere in the middle. Either way, MacLachlan is the kind of actor who could certainly play either side of this potential good vs. evil story. MacLachlan playing a billionaire isn't particularly difficult to believe. He has a tendency to play wealthy characters. Not only did he play Orson Hodge in Desperate Housewives, but he also played Charlotte's rich husband (for a time) Trey MacDougal in Sex and the City. In more recent years, his TV credits include the part of The Captain in How I Met Your Mother, the recurring role of the Mayor in IFC comedy series Portlandia, and a part in CBS' The Good Wife. Should things work out for Believe (and assuming his character is set up to stick around), this will put him in his first regular role since Made in Jersey, which didn't survive its first season.